BY KEITH LACEY
A ?desperate? Sudbury woman who resorted to fabricating evidence to try and overturn a fraud conviction that landed her a 14-month jail sentence was given an additional six months in jail Wednesday.
Rita Collalti, 53, pleaded guilty, to fabricating a letter and forging the signature of the former boss she admitted to defrauding of $120,000 over a 16-month period.
The letter was presented after Collalti was found guilty following a trial in January.
The letter suggested Collalti?s former boss was offering her ?hush money? to keep quiet about alleged indiscretions that never took place.
When confronted by Greater Sudbury Police, Collalti insisted the letter, dating back to March 2000, was genuine and should be presented to the sentencing judge in her fraud trial to reopen the case before sentence was imposed.
However, assistant Crown attorney Philip Zylberberg told the court Wednesday Collalti?s former boss provided proof he was not in Sudbury at the time the letter was allegedly signed by him.
The police also discovered the language used in the letter was never used on the computer Collalti insisted it was drafted on and the font used didn?t come from that computer, said Zylberberg.
Collalti was eventually charged with fabricating evidence, obstructing justice and mischief. She pleaded guilty to fabricating evidence.
Defence counsel Andrew Buttazzoni told the court Collalti had never been in trouble with the law before she got involved in defrauding her boss and ?acted out of desperation? in fabricating the letter.
Any crime which so seriously interferes with the administration of justice must be punished, however, Collalti is already serving a long sentence, has health problems and is in ?financial ruin? because of the big trouble she?s gotten into, said Buttazzoni.
In all the circumstances, an additional sentence of 90 days would be appropriate, he said.
Zylberberg disagreed saying the minimum sentence that should be considered is six more months behind bars.
Fabricating a letter to make bogus allegations against the same man she stole so much money from over such a long period of time must be treated seriously by the courts, said Zylberberg.
Collalti?s fabricated letter instantly raised suspicion when it was presented by her lawyer following the trial as it would have greatly assisted her during the trial, he said.
Imposing a light sentence would send the wrong message and would not deter others from attempting the same kind of miscarriage of justice, said Zylberberg.
Justice William Fitzgerald said the minimum sentence that is appropriate in all of the circumstances is six months on top of the long sentence Collalti still has to serve.
Collalti was found guilty of stealing the $120,000 between April 2000 and August 2001 from the owner of a siding company she worked for.
